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1. (n.) motive
something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.
2. motive
the goal or object of a person's actions:
Her motive was revenge.
3. (adj.) motive
causing or tending to cause motion.
4. motive
pertaining to motion.
5. motive
prompting to action.
6. motive
constituting a motive or motives.
Etymology: (1325–75; (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvus serving to move = L mōt(us) (ptp. of movēre to move ) +-īvus -ive)
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| Definition of 'motive' |
Princeton's WordNet |
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1. (noun) motivation, motive, need
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
"we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
2. (noun) motif, motive
a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
3. (adj) motif, motive
a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
4. (adj) motive(a), motor
causing or able to cause motion
"a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy"
5. (adj) motivative(a), motive(a), motivating
impelling to action
"it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments"
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1. (noun) motive
a reason for doing sth
The motive for the crime remains a mystery.
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| Definition of 'motive' |
Webster Dictionary |
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1. (adj) motive
causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power
2. (noun) motive
that which moves; a mover
3. (noun) motive
that which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object
4. (noun) motive
the theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading
5. (noun) motive
that which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one
6. (verb) motive
to prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move
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Sense: something that makes a person choose to act in a particular way; a reason
What was his motive for murdering the old lady?
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 Afrikaans: motief |
 Arabic: دافِع، حافِز |
 Bulgarian: мотив |
 Brazilian: motivo |
 Czech: motiv |
 German: das Motiv |
 Danish: motiv; bevæggrund |
 Greek: κίνητρο, ελατήριο |
 Spanish: motivo |
 Estonian: motiiv |
 Farsi: انگيزه |
 Finnish: motiivi |
 French: motif |
 Hebrew: מֵנִיע |
 Hindi: प्रयोजन |
 Croatian: motiv |
 Hungarian: indíték |
 Indonesian: motif |
 Icelandic: tilefni |
 Italian: motivo |
 Japanese: 動機 |
 Korean: (행위의) 동기 |
 Lithuanian: motyvas, akstinas |
 Latvian: motīvs; iemesls |
 Malay: motif |
 Dutch: beweegreden |
 Norwegian: motiv, begrunnelse |
 Polish: motyw |
 Persian: انگيزه |
 Pashto: دليل |
 Portuguese: motivo |
 Romanian: motiv |
 Russian: повод; мотив |
 Slovak: motív |
 Slovenian: nagib |
 Serbian: motiv |
 Swedish: motiv |
 Thai: แรงจูงใจ |
 Turkish: neden, sebep, dürtü |
 Taiwanese: 動機 |
 Ukrainian: мотив, привід |
 Urdu: مقصد |
 Vietnamese: động cơ |
 Chinese: 动机 |
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| Alternative search options for 'motive' |
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Definitions of motive 
